Adisseo and Novozymes have formed a partnership to develop and market a probiotic for poultry. Novozymes will be responsible for in-vitro screening, development and production, while Adisseo will manage in-vivo testing, marketing and sales. The partners expect to launch the product within the next 12 months, according to BioSpace.com.

“The world needs new solutions to feed a growing global population in a sustainable way. We are developing a probiotic that can help farmers meet that need,” says Helle Warrer Poulsen, vice president of Animal Health & Nutrition at Novozymes. “We are excited to partner with Adisseo, who shares our vision of bringing innovation and science to the field of probiotics.”

“Innovation is part of Adisseo’s DNA and we are constantly investing, either organically or through strategic partnerships, in new solutions to help our customers optimize livestock performance while reducing environmental impact,” says Jean-Marc Dublanc, CEO of Adisseo. “The decision to enlarge our specialty portfolio with probiotics was therefore a natural one, as was the choice of Novozymes as our partner.”

For decades, antibiotics have been widely used in animal production to help livestock grow, but more countries are banning non-medicinal use to help combat antibiotic resistance in humans, notes BioSpace.com. More consumers also are demanding antibiotic-free food.

Probiotics are naturally-occurring live microbes added to feed to improve the gut flora of pigs, poultry and other animals. They improve animal growth and feed utilization and have associated health benefits, thereby providing a natural alternative to antibiotic growth promoters.

Novozymes and Adisseo’s new product will be based on beneficial bacteria that promote weight gain and limit development of unwanted bacteria in an animal’s digestive tract. The product will be designed for poultry, while the partners plan further research to develop probiotics for both poultry and swine.

Source: BioSpace.com